Been the parents of twelve children was never going to be easy
for Tom (Martin) and Kate (Hunt) Baker but the hardest thing they were ever
going to do was to say goodbye to some of them. As Lorraine (Duff) is about
to move to New York and Nora (Perabo) is about to have a first baby, Tom comes
up with a plan to have one last family vacation back at their favourite holiday
destination, the Lake. When they get there however, Tom finds that his old
childhood rival Jimmy Murtaugh (Levy) now owns most of the lakeside properties
and is just as competitive as ever, so Tom now has to prove that his family
is better.

Any movie that makes a decent profit at the box office these
days seems to get a sequel and 'Cheaper by the Dozen' doesn't buck that trend.

While the first movie was a harmless, slightly charming comedic
romp about a very large family the second film is more of the same but far
too over the top. As the family is about to break up for the first time, Tom
and Kate get nostalgic for the good old days of vacations by the lake and
all of the family bonding they did there. So for one last time, they gather
the family together and try and recapture those past vacations that they loved
so much. The premise sets itself up for some sugar coating and it doesn't
disappoint.

This is one of the most sickly sweet sequels you are ever going
to see, the movie concentrates more on three main storylines, namely toy-boy
Sarah, played by the Alyson Stoner, as she grows up and discovers boys, Charlie's
(Tom Welling in a much bigger role) desire to do something with his life and
the competitiveness between Tom and Jimmy which has been brewing since their
childhood together. While the Sarah and Charlie stories advance the characters
and make the film more relatable and relevant, it is the Tom and Jimmy rivalry
that weakens the film.

You'd would think that two extremely gifted comedic actors would
bring many more laughs to a competitive streak that has latest most of their
character's lives but due to shortcomings in the script this opportunity is
sadly missed. Both Eugene Levy and especially Steve Martin have seen better
comedy days and both of them really need to get back to their wacky and extremely
more humorous past if they want to be taken seriously as comedians.

The rest of the cast is fine. Jaime King brings some beauty
to the proceedings as Jimmy eldest daughter. Bonnie Hunt is as good as ever
but is criminally underused. Carmen Electra proves that she is more than just
a pretty face with a killer body. The kids are also good but most of them
have little or nothing to do because of the lack of storylines for them.

'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' is an unnecessary sequel to a very
average movie. Far too sugary sweet with not enough character development
or major laughs, this is a basic family comedy that comes up well sort of
a dozen.

Commentary by director Adam Shankman
The man at the helm offers you behind the scenes and backstory information
about production. The director talks about working with twenty kids on the
set and what it was like working with three comedic masters in Steve Martin,
Eugene Levy and Bonnie Hunt. He also reveals how they worked the film around
the schedule of the young cast members that have been picked up by other movies
or TV shows. Shankman also reveals how they approached the casting of the
new family. This is a decent comedy from someone who clearly believes in the
film he has produced.